The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1887-02-03
AN IMPORTANT PROBLEM.
Commerce In Connection With
Transportation Facilities.
FEEDERS AND OUTLETS.
Conditions Requisite to Secure Efficiency
of Transportation to Every City-Balti-
more Marine and Railway Advan-
tages-The Distr1butive Trade of
altimore-Competition From
the East, the West and
the South.


merce of city and its avenues Of transporta-
ton should be in very close alliance, anc
although it is not easy to lay down any specia
method of cementing them, it is unauestion-
ably true that their intimacy and the spirit O
their cooperation tend largely not only to pro
mote the growth of the one, but to insure theil
mutual welfare.
1t must however, be submitted that three
conditions are requisite to secure efficiency il
the feeders and outlets of a city.
Flrst-They should afford unbroken railroad
| connection with the territory dependent upor
and tributary to it. Should this communica
| ton be imperfect, or become estranged or dis
connected, the relationship will thrive indif
ferenty, and the city will find that the hole
upon its sphere of action relaxes, and that the
coveted or the once possessed trade is beyond
It's reach, or is being diverted 10 more capably-
served or more powerful rivals.
| Second-Transportatio lines should be suf
hclent III number to afford free outlet for and
well adapted to secure economical handling OF
any surplus of crops which naturally flow to
orls attracted by the city, as we'll as for the
marketing OF manufactured articles originating
within its own boundaries
They should be, in the case of a CITY of the
first Importance. of the highest efficiency
They should pursue the shortest route to the
seaboard, and thus to foreign countries, and by
their superiority promote interchange of com
merce abroad, and with the interior-nutually
| the recipient and the dispenser-the CT ty direct
ing the operations.
| Thlrd-TransportatO lines should be no
only aggressive, and their interests in sympa
thy with those ofthe city, so as to maintain its
but they should be so extended as to push be-
yond this area to obtain trade from the terri
tory OF competitive cities.
! Railway Transportation.
Baltimore quickly realized the inadequacy O.
means OF transit to the growing West, and de
termined to compete, as her natural right, il
the construction of the Baltimore and Ohio
railroad. for the advantage sought by New
York in the construction of the Erie canal.
| This railroad. begun in 1928, was finished to
| the Ohio river in 1853
Between the years of 1850 and 1860 the con-
struction and development of Eastern and
| Western trunk lines was rapid though the
economic transportation of through freight
| over all rail lines had not become perfected.
This development was arrested by the war of
states, at the close of which, in 1865 it imme-
diatey took new life, and has since that time
| progreSsei. year by year, to marvellous ex-
tent. In the natural competition that fol-
lowed, conceding our greater proximity to
Western points equivalent to an advantage to
this market of about one-third or as 66.3 to
loo' New York has argued that to lift our
| freight over the mountain this adj
vantage would be counterbaanced by
the ease of her level grades. But Nature
! IS tnil OF compensation ana The mountain be-
coinesa nloe-hli from the fact That The mines
| in The neighborhood furnish the means of
| overcoming this obstacle with such a lavish
| hand that the fuel has only to be picked UP
and made available. On this route the coal
| can be had at 80 cents per ton, that commands
| at the seaboard from $3.50 to S4OO per ton.
| This advantage is demonstrated in the item of
operating expenses of the Baltimore and Ohio
railroad. being remarkably less than in the
| case of either the New York Genital, the Erie
or the Pennsylvania Railroad Companies.
1t was this principle of proximity, alone,
that finally, through the Advisory Commits
sion, in the year 1882. composed Of the Honor
ables A. q. Thurman. Elihu B. Washburn and
L. M. Cooley, established for Baltimore differ
entails inadequate though they be- in her
favor. which restored peace temporarily, and
gave fair promise of securing immunity from
frequently recurring wars between the Eastern
and Western Trunk Lines The five lines ter
minating at the river front in this harbor
reach the following states directly, and all the
| states and territories by close connection.
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad-Maryland,
Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio,
Kentucky, Indiana. Illinois, Missouri, Iowa,
| and the West Northwest and Southwest.
Northern Central and Pennsylvania Bail
| roads-Maryand Pennsylvania. New York,
Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana Illinois, Missouri,
Wisconsin, Michigan, and Western and South
western States
Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Bail
road-Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania,
New Jersey, New York and all the New Eng
| land States and the Canadas.
| Western Maryland MISUNDERSTANDING,
Pennsylvania and the Shenandoah Valley Of
Virginia.
| baltimore and Potomac Railroaa-Maryland
| Virginia and the CaroIinas, Georgia,
Alabama and Florida. This line, how
ever, is not utilized as an all rail
freight line with the states named. No freight
is shipped beyond Danvile from Baltimore by
this route This also connects. through the
| Virginia Midland road with the Chesapeake
and Ohio railroad for Virginia, Kentucky and
Tennessee.
| 1t Is probable that the Western Maryland
railroad will, at no distant period, by extern
sion, reach the Vanderbilt system, and thus
| open another avenue to the West. while the
| Baltimore and Ohio road by its Philadelphia
and New DIRK extension, offers another indie
pendent line to the East.
| Baltimore possesses one of the finest harbors
on the Atlantic coast and ships from all ports
| find easy and cheap access to it. AS its
railroad connections are numerous anC
ample the transportation lines by raj
and water, therefore. reach every state anc
| territory, also the Canadas and Mexico. anC
every section of the foregoing trayersed by
| freight lines all, to certain extent, are trib
ntary to Baltimo ore. This must be recognized
not only in the distribution of her imports o
coffee. iron and copper ore, hides, foreign
| lTultS, SuSaI, SuduO ana salt, DuC also IN ina
Of her home manufactured products, such
especially, as cotton duck, canned goods
machinery, clothing, manufactured tobacco
fertilizers, shoes, woollen, cotton and straw
l goods, which are distributed from this marke
over the entire northern portion of the con
hnent.
| Review of the Distributive Comm cree Of
Baltimore.
The dlstributive commerce of Baltimore
consisting of goods jobbed drawn from thu
manufacturers or original dealers LOCATED
throughout the country, including those in oul
own immediate vicinity, is com merce 81
natural in its movement as to work out for it.
self an area clearly defined-one in which the
interests of Baltim ore exceed those of any othe
city.
This area is comprised in three sections-par
OF the Middle, all of the Southern and South
western, and parts of the near Western States
In this field Baltimore has competition iron
three (3) sources-the East, the West and th
South. That from the East is subdivided int
two classes first, that from Boston, New Yor
and Philadelphia markets Of the first order
second, that from Norfolk, Richmond, VII
mington, Charlotte Charleston, Columbia
, Atlanta Macon, Savannah, Montgomery, Nc
. bile, New Orleans and Memphis, markets {
+ the second order, which latter apply 10 til
Southern States only.
The first area of importance to Baltimore
located i'll the States of Maryland, includin
that part bordering on the Eastern Shore 9
the Chesapeake bay, the District OF Columbia
part OF Delaware, southern part OF Pennsylvf
| mia and Virginia, comprising for Pennsylvanl